Persona 4 Novel
by Bolt Dragon Tsuki
Summary: Just what the title says, if Persona 4 was written like a novel. I'll use the real main character, and I'll stick to the actual story. Please read and review.
1. Prologue: The Velvet Room

**Okay, I've wanted to try this for awhile. A novelization of one of my favorite games, Persona. I played it for two weeks and I'm almost done. But anyway, I hope it's good for the people who'll read it. This is based on the true one, not like the other novelization here.**

**Ch. 1 Prologue: The Velvet Room**

It was a foggy, dark evening as a limousine drove down a path to nowhere. It seemed like an ordinary car from the outside, but it would be a surprise to the people if they saw the inside.

It was a dark room with a blue light at the roof. A woman with white hair and a blue attendant uniform opened her eyes. A man sat on a small couch in the middle, with a table in front of him. He had both his fists on his chin, wore a suit, and had an abnormal long nose, you'd think he was Pinocchio.

He slowly opened his eyes. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."

He brought up his head and waved out his hand. "Ah... it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny." Then he chuckled. "My name is Igor... I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

He looked around. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future."

He paused. "Now then... why don't you introduce yourself?"

The silent person blinked, then replied, "Souji... Souji Seta."

"Hmm... I see." Igor muttered. "Now, let's take a look at your future, shall we?"

He took out a deck of cards and said, "Do you believe in fortune telling?" Then he laid them all in a face down position.

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different." He chucked. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"

Igor flipped over a card. "Hm... the Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is... the Moon in the upright position."

He continued to explained. "This moon represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'... very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."

"In the coming days, you will enter a contract of some sort, after which, you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be lost forever. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen.

He took the cards off the table, then blinked. "Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you." He referred to her with his hand. "This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself."

She turned her head to Souji. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you on your journey."

Then the attention went back to Igor. "We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell..."

**So this is the prologue. If I continue this story, I'll add people's social links as well. Until then, please review. **


	2. Beginning

****

Okay, here's the next chapter. This will be longer than the the first, because that was a prologue. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

**Ch. 2 Beginning**

A girl was playing around in a waterfall, just laughing and having fun, wearing a bikini. She stopped under an umbrella and picked up a soda can, drinking it. "I'm tired of diets, and enough with going to the gym! Good thing there's something that even I can handle!" A bigger version of the can appeared, and a voice said, "Slim down this summer with a refreshing taste of Calorie Magic."

The commercial cut to a news report as the same man said, "And, we're back. Now on to some juicy news: the Mayumi Yamano scandal." It was being broadcast from almost every TV in the city.

A man scoffed. "At first he bags a singer, and then he has an affair with a TV announcer at the side. Do chicks really dig politicians?"

"Isn't it just stuff like money and connections?" A woman suggested. "When you get down to it, financial and political clout is what matters."

"Hey! What was that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think?"

Souji was waiting in the metro station for his train to show up, and overheard this conversation. He had odd gray hair for his age, and wore his new school uniform. Then the train appeared, and he got on.

_"Well, I'm sure that you all know already, but at the end of this month, Souji will be transferring to another school." The teacher said. Looks of suprise and sadness came to everyone's face as they looked at him with shock. "Quiet down, guys! I'm not done yet.__"_

The train soon came out of the city, and into the countryside. Souji stared out at the window, no expression on his face. Then he looked at his cellphone. A text read 'Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4PM'.

"WE WILL ARRIVE AT THE YASOGAMI TERMINAL IN A FEW MINUTES." The intercom spoke. "PASSENGERS HEADED FOR INABA CITY AND YASOGAMI STATION, PLEASE GO TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATFORM."

Souji blinked at the mention of this and grabbed his stuff as the train came to a halt.

"The scandal involves the Enka Star Misuzu Hiiragi preparing to tour overseas." A newswoman said, and a picture of a man and Misuzu appeared. "Taro Namatame, a council secretary in the Inaba region, whom she married just last year, is under suspicion of having an affair."

A man wearing proper attire and a smoke in his mouth and a little girl was watching this news as well. The man turned and looked at the clock. The girl also turned and said, "Oh! Should we go soon?"

"Yeah. It's just about..." The man said.

"The question on everyone's mind is how this love triangle will affect-" The television was turned off.

* * *

_A table was shown and behind was what appeared to be a woman being pushed by a man._

Souji was already on the other train, looking out and seeing the countryside. Green grass, small houses, a giant mountain. Then they entered into a tunnel.

_The woman looked like she was struggling._

He closed his eyes.

_The woman was pushed to the wall, a man choked her neck with his hand. A vision of Margaret and Igor appeared as well._

He gasped as he opened his eyes back up. The train was out of the tunnel, and a nice view of the country was shown. He sighed.

Souji got off the train and the station, then looked around. The intercom spoke, "YASOINABA. YASOINABA."

It was a foggy afternoon in Inaba, being April. The sun was barely in view. Souji looked around for who was supposed to find him.

"Hey! Over here!"

He blinked and walked over to the man and girl waiting for him. They shook hands. "Well, you're more handsome in person than you are in photo."

He had a kindly expression on his face, but he also showed a stern, serious look that could be scary. "Welcome to Inaba. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you... Let's see... I'm your mother's younger brother, and that about sums it up."

Souji had a fake smile on his face. "It's nice to meet you."

Dojima smiled, scratching his head. "Heh. You probably don't remember, but we've met. I've changed your diapers before, you know."

Then he looked down, and pulled the girl in front of him. "This here's my daughter. Come on Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."

She had a hard time speaking, or even looking up. "...'lo." Then she walked behind her dad.

Dojima chuckled. "What're you so shy for?"

Nanako angrily slapped her dad's behind, causing him to laugh even more. "Ow, hahaha!"

"Well then, let's get going." He said. "My car's over there."

* * *

Finally the car arrived at the Shopping District of Inaba. But it stopped at the local gas station to fill the car back up.

As the car came into the gas station, a delivery truck drove out of the station. The attendant ran up to the car and said, "Hi! Welcome to Moel!"

Dojima turned to Nanako and asked, "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?" She nodded. Then they both opened the door and got out.

Nanako looked around nervously. The attendant noticed and said, "It's in the back, to your left. You know which way's left? The side you don't hold your chopsticks in."

She looked annoyed. "I know... geez..." Then she ran there as Souji got out of the car.

"Are you taking a trip?" The attendant asked.

"No, we just went to pick him up." Dojima answered. "He just moved here from the big city."

"The city, huh?"

"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine." He said.

The attendant looked attentive again. "Right away, sir!"

Then Dojima walked off, muttering, "Good time as any for a smoke..."

"Are you in high school?" The attendant asked him, then noticing Souji's confused face. "Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now."

She walked up to Souji and held out her hand. "Give it some thought why don't you? We don't mind if you're a student." He shook hands with her.

As Nanako ran out of the bathroom, the attendant blinked. "Oh, I should get back to work." And she walked away.

Suddenly, Souji felt a strange pang in his head, making him feel dizzy and somewhat in pain.

Nanako walked up to him. "Are you okay? Did you get carsick? You don't look too good..."

_Could it be exhaustion from the long trip? _Souji wondered. _Now that she mentions it, I do feel a little dizzy..._

* * *

Soon, they finally arrived at the Dojima residence. As the two walked inside the house, Souji stared at the house. It looked nice from outside, two-story and wooden.

_For the next year, this place will be my home. _Souji thought, then walked inside the house.

At evening, the three sat around a small table. They had drinks in their hand, and small instant lunches in front of them. Dojima raised up his glass and said, "All right, let's have a toast." The rest held their's up as well, then took a drink.

"So, you're mom and dad are busy as always. They're working overseas, was it?" Dojima said. "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents... it's rough being a kid. Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."

"Thank you for your kindness." Souji said, but with the same fake, nervous smile he had last time.

Dojima just laughed. "C'mon, there's no need to be so formal." He turned to his daughter. "Look, you're making Nanako all tense."

Nanako blinked, then looked down at her food nervously.

"Well anyway... let's eat." Dojima said.

They all went down to grabbed their chopsticks, when suddenly, Dojima's cellphone rang. He grunted. "Uh... who's calling at this hour?"

He answered it. "Dojima speaking... mmm-hmm." He got up and walked a little bit back. "Yeah? I see... so where is it?... Uh-huh. All right I'm on my way." Then he turned it off and muttered, "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze..."

He turned around. "Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me." Nanako stood up as he continued to speak. "I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help him out, okay?"

"...Okay." She said, with a sad face.

Dojima walked out the door and noticed the rain. "Nanako, it's raining out. What did you do with the laundry?!"

"I already brought it in!"

"...All right. Well, I'm off." He shut the door behind him. The sound of the car could be heard as it was driven.

Nanako sat back down and turned on the TV. The weather announcer was speaking. "-for this week. Now, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rains throughout the day tomorrow in most areas.

Nanako looked at her food. "...Let's eat."

As they ate, Souji decided to talk. "What does your dad do?"

"He... investigates stuff." She replied. "Like crime scenes. My dad's a detective." This surprised Souji a little.

Another music began to play on the news. The announcer was speaking. "And now for the local news. City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will like pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."

"...This is boring." Nanako said. She changed the channel.

This time, there was a commercial. "At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" A song played as it said, "Every day's great at your Junes."

Nanako began to sing it too. "Every day's great at your Junes." Souji was surprised as this as well.

She looked at Souji. "...Aren't you going to eat?"

He blinked and began stuffing his mouth with food.

* * *

After dinner, he walked up to his room. There were still a lot of boxes left to unpack, but there was a couch, a TV, a closet, a desk, and a futon laid out for him.

_This is my room, huh? _He thought. He walked to his futon, and fell asleep really fast.

However, as soon as he fell asleep, he found himself in a foggy area kneeling down. There was really nothing in sight, except for the bridge he was standing on. Not knowing what to do, he began running across the bridge. It seemed like it kept going though, because of the fog.

When he got to a certain distance though, he heard a voice. "Do you seek the truth?" He frowned and kept going.

He heard it again. "If it's the truth you desire, come and find me..."

Soon, he came across a door. Not knowing what to do, he touched it and it opened for him...

He found himself in another foggy area, stretching out to nowhere. He even had a katana in his hand!

There was a figure in front of him, but because of the fog, he could not see. It said, "So... you are the one pursuing me..."

It laughed. "Try all you like."

Souji took that as an insult and tried to cut it down with his sword. It made contact, though it didn't seem like it was in pain. "Hmm... it seems that you can see a little, despite the fog."

He slashed again. "I see... indeed, you possess an interesting quality."

Getting angry, an interesting figure hidden by fog appeared behind him and let out a lightning bolt on the enemy. This also didn't strike it. "But... you will not catch me so easily. If you seek what is 'truth', then your search will be even harder..."

Red aura appeared as the enemy muttered, "Bewildering fog..." The aura turned into a bigger fog, with Souji not being able to see.

He tried to strike again, but actually missed. "Everyone sees what they want to... and the fog only deepens..."

One more uncontrolled slash, and he fell down, panting from swinging the heavy blade.

"...Will we meet again? At a place other than here...?" It chuckled. "I look forward to it."

_What the? Am I fainting? _Souji wondered as his head got worse and worse...

**And that's the second chapter. Next one, we move on to school. The murders begin as well.**


	3. First Day At School

**Okay, I'm working pretty fast on chapters because I have time. But soon I'll have to slow down on my work. Still, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**Ch. 3 First Day At School**

_April 12, 2011_

There was a knock on the door. "Breakfast's ready!" Nanako called from outside.

_It's time to get up, huh? _Souji thought as he got up from his futon. _That was a pretty bad nightmare though. I wonder what is was about... _

He put his school uniform on, same as yesterday's clothes. _I start school today..._

Souji walked down stairs to the living room to see eggs and bread on the table, with glasses of water on each side. Nanako was bringing her plate of food up to the table.

"Good morning." She said.

They both sat down as more toast popped out of the toaster. "Okay." She said. "Let's eat."

As they took a few bites, Souji asked, "Do you do the cooking?"

Nanako nodded. "I can toast bread... and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook though, so I buy dinner."

Then she decided to change the subject. "You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so let's go together."

* * *

The walk to school wasn't that far, and soon they reached the Samegawa flood plain. It was a long road with some grass to the side with some trees. There were some steps leading to a small lake, and a rest area as well. Souji and Nanako had their umbrellas out because it continued to rain.

Soon, she stopped and pointed in front of them. "You keep going straight from here." She turned around. "My school's this way. Bye." Then she walked off.

Then he got to the intersection right in front of the school. Suddenly, a person from behind zoomed past him on a yellow bike, although it looked very shaky! "Whoaaaaa!" He screamed and crashed into a pole!

No one really cared though. They just took one look at him, then walked away. He grabbed his leg and groaned in pain.

_That looked painful_. Souji winced_. I should leave him be._

Then he continued on, leaving the poor man.

Souji finally got to Yasogami High after walking up a small hill. The cherry blossoms were still in bloom and the kids were still lively, despite the rain. It was a nice, small three-story building, and it looked pretty comfortable too.

_So this is Yasogami, huh_? He thought_. What kind of student life awaits me...?_

* * *

The classroom was pretty lively, with a lot of chatter inside. People walking around or sitting, and doing a bunch of stuff. They were just reminiscing about old times and gossip and stuff.

One student groaned. "Talk about bad luck. The homeroom teacher here is Morooka, isn't it?"

"Yeah it's King Moron alright." A student said. "We get to enjoy his long sermons every day for a whole year."

"Hey you guys." A girl said. "I hear there's going to be a transfer student from the city in this class."

"Huh? Really? A guy or a girl?"

Three other students were listening into their conversation.

One was the person who crashed into the pole, lying on his desk. He had neck-length brown hair with headphones around his neck, and the regular school uniform.

Another was a girl with short brown hair. She had a pretty physical body for her age, as if she was one who worked out everyday. She wore a green jacket over her uniform and tights under her skirt.

The last was another girl who had long black hair and a fragile-looking body. She wore a red cardigan over her uniform and a red headband.

"A transfer student from the city." The short haired girl muttered. "Just like you, huh, Yosuke?"

The guy known as Yosuke didn't reply.

"Huh? You look dead today."

"Yeah, um..." He groaned again. "I don't wanna talk about it..."

She turned to the girl in front of her, the one with red on. "What's with him?"

The girl shrugged. "Who knows?"

The door suddenly opened with the teacher and another kid coming in. Everyone immediately went to their seats as soon as they saw him.

The teacher was kind of creepy looking, with graying hair and a blue striped suit. He also had buck teeth coming out from the top side of his mouth. The boy standing next to him was Souji.

"Awright, shut your traps!" The teacher yelled, causing everyone to be quiet. He had a cracky voice, which could cause anybody to hate him. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!"

Then he immediately changed topic. "First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't means you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow!" Everyone's sweat dropped (except for Yosuke who was still bummed out).

"Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student." He pointed to Souji. "This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get ideas about hitting on him! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick."

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Souji Seta." He said with his nervous smile.

Morooka instantly glared at him. "What's with that look you're giving that girl back there by the window!? You think I wouldn't notice!?" He began talking harsh more and more. "Now, listen up! This city is miles away from your big city of perverts, in more ways than one! You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know... it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so darn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those darn phones, checking your live-journals and your my-places..." And he kept on going on and on.

"Excuse me!" The girl with the green jacket called with an upraised hand. "Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"

"Huh?" Morooka snapped out of his lecture. "Yeah sure. Hear that. Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!"

Souji fast-walked his way over to the seat next to her, taking a deep breath from the lecture.

"He's the worse huh?" The girl whispered. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class... well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year."

"Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class on the first morning here..." A boy whispered to him.

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side." A girl said. "Then again, we're all in the same boat."

"Shut your traps!" Morooka yelled. "I'm taking roll, and a darn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

_So this is school in the country... _Souji thought sadly. _Will I be able to fit here?_

* * *

_Some time later..._

"That's all for today." Morooka said. "Normal lectures will start tomorrow."

Everyone was getting out of their seat, when suddenly the intercom began to speak. "ATTENTION, ALL TEACHERS. PLEASE REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE FACULTY OFFICE FOR A BRIEF STAFF MEETING. ALL STUDENTS MUST RETURN TO THEIR CLASSROOMS AND ARE NOT TO LEAVE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE."

Morooka groaned. "You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Then he left, with the kids talking again.

"He's seriously getting on my nerves." A girl said.

Then a siren could be heard outside. Some kids rushed over to the windows to look.

"Did something happen?" A guy asked. "Don't those sirens sound really close?...Ugh, I can't see a darn thing. Freakin' fog..."

"Yeah, like every time it rains, it gets all foggy."

Then a kid decided to change the subject. "Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."

"Oh yeah. You mean Mayumi Yamano right?" The other guy asked. "I hear some guys spotted her at the shopping district."

"Actually, I heard that..." And that teenager's voice turned into a whisper, to not let anyone hear him.

The other guy gasped. "Are you serious?!"

Then he walked over to the girl wearing the red jacket. "H-Hey Yukiko-san. Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"

That girl called Yukiko replied, "I can't discuss such things."

"Y-Yeah, I guess not." Then he walked away.

The girl with the green jacket came over to Yukiko and sighed. "Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?"

"There's no telling." Yukiko said.

The girl sighed again. "I shoulda left before the announcement came on..." Then she changed the subject. "By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?"

Yukiko looked at her confused.

"You know... that thing about rainy nights..."

"Oh... No, not yet, sorry."

"Ahhh, that's okay." She grinned. "Well... it's just, I heard a guy in the class next door to us yell something like, 'My soul mate is Yamano, the announcer!'"

The intercom went on again. "ATTENTION, ALL STUDENTS. THERE HAS BEEN AN INCIDENT INSIDE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. POLICE OFFICERS HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED AROUND THE SCHOOL ZONE. PLEASE STAY CALM, AND CONTACT YOUR PARENTS OF GUARDIANS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND QUICKLY LEAVE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS. DO NOT DISTURB THE POLICE OFFICERS. HEAD DIRECTLY HOME."

"Incident?!" A boy wondered, then started running at fast as he could out the door.

"What, something actually happened?" A girl asked.

"C'mon, let's go take a look!"

Souji got up as well, when Yukiko and the girl with the green jacket walked up to him.

"Hey, are you going home by yourself? Why don't you come with us?" The girl with the green jacket asked. "Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"

"Of course." Souji relied.

"Well, nice to meet you."

She referred to her friend. "This is Yukiko Amagi."

"Oh, nice to meet you..." She said with a shy voice. "I'm sorry this is so sudden..."

"C'mon, don't apologize like that." Chie whined. "It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all."

The three began walking to the door when Yosuke stepped in front of them, although he was shaking very nervously.

"Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka...?" He said while taking a DVD out of his backpack. "This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see..."

Chie frowned at his attitude.

He held out the DVD. "And... I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy on me until my next paycheck!" He handed it to her really fast and said, "Seeya thanks!"

Then he began to hurry to the door, but Chie followed after him. "Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!" She leaped into the air and hit with with a flying kick, causing him to slam into a desk!

"Argh!" He yelled as he grabbed his knee, the same area where he was hurting when he crashed into the pole.

Chie opened the DVD case, and gasped. "What the?! I can't believe this! It is completely cracked... My 'Trial of the Dragon'...!"

"I think mine's cracked too..." Yosuke groaned. "C-critical hit to the nads..."

"A-are you all right?" Yukiko asked.

Yosuke smiled a little from hearing her voice. "Oh, Yukiko-san... are you worried about me...?"

"He's fine, Yukiko." Chie said angrily. "Let's ditch him and go home."

_Wow, he looks like he's in a lot of pain. _Souji thought. _I should leave him be._

And the three walked out of the room, leaving the poor man.

* * *

As they walked out of the school gates, they saw someone coming up to them. He had grayish hair, and wore a uniform from another school. But the thing odd about him was his eyes that were shaped like a fish's. And he had a mole to the right side of his face.

"You're Yuki, right?" He asked referring to Yukiko. "Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?"

"What...?" She asked, confused. "Wh-who are you?"

Two kids came up and watched from afar. "What's up with him? What school's he from?"

"Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san?" The other kid said. "Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move..."

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out."

"No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?"

"Um, s-so... are you coming or not?" He asked.

"I-I'm not going..." She stuttered.

"...Fine!" He said angrily and ran off.

Yukiko's sweat dropped. "Wh-What did he want from me...?"

"What did he want...?" Chie said surprised. "Obviously, he was asking you out on a date."

"Huh? Really...?"

"You really had no clue? Sheesh..." Chie sighed. "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

Then Yosuke showed up coming out of the school gates, walking his bike. "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel... You got me the same way last year."

"I don't recall doing that." She said confused.

"Whoa, you serious?!" Yosuke grinned. "So then, you wanna hang around sometime?!"

"...I'd rather not."

Yosuke sighed. "That'll teach me to get my hopes up... Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much."

Then he began biking down the hill, with Chie shouting, "We're just curious, is all!"

Yukiko turned to Souji. "U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this..."

More kids began to gather around them from the commotion they started. "C'mon, let's go." Chie said. "Everybody is staring."

Chie began walking down the hill. Souji and Yukiko looked at each other for a second, before Yukiko blushed and quickly followed aftter Chie. Souji followed as well.

* * *

They soon made it to the neighborhood as they walked. Souji was telling them about the reasons for moving to Inaba.

"Ah... so you came here because of your parents' job." Chie said. "Haha, I thought it was something way more serious."

She looked out to the green grass and the crops planted there. The outskirts were a few trees and a lot of fog. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside." Chie explained. "Oh! Though, there is something from Mt. Yasogami... I think our dyed clothes or pottery is kinda famous... Oh, wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"

"Huh?" Yukiko said. "It's... just an old inn."

"Oh, no way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure." Chie grinned. "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. The inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

"...I don't think that's entirely true." Yukiko said nervously.

"So, tell me." Chie said to Souji with a glint in her eye. "You think Yukiko's cute, huh?"

Souji blinked, but said, "I think so, yeah."

Chie giggled. "I knew it!"

"Come on..." Yukiko complained. "Don't start this again..."

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend." She explained. "Kinda wierd, huh?"

Yukiko blushed. "C-Come on, stop it."

She turned to Souji. "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular, or that I've never had a boyfriend!" She paused a second to realize what she just said. "Wait, no! Wh-what I mean to say was, I don't need a boyfriend!" Then she muttered, "Geez... Chie!"

Chie laughed. "Sorry, sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!" She looked up ahead and blinked. "Hey, what's that?"

The trio walked ahead to see some people in front of a road block, with some policeman guarding the area. It seemed like something bad happened, with all the commotion and the stuff around the area.

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she was walking down the street..." One woman began.

"Wow." Another woman said. "Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?"

"I wanted to see it too."

"Uh, you got here too late..." A woman groaned. "The police and fire department took it down just a moment ago."

"Well, I think it's terrifying." The other woman shuddered. "I can't believe a dead body showed up around here..."

The three gasped.

"Wait... what did she just say?" Chie said. "A dead body?!"

Then they saw Dojima walking around the crime scene. He turned and got surprised when he saw Souji and friends, then walked towards them.

"Hey, what're you doing here?" He asked with a grave, serious tone.

"We're just passing by." Souji responded truthfully.

"Huh... I should've figured that'd happen." Dojima said. "That darn principle. We told him not to let them through here..."

"...You know this guy?" Chie asked.

Souji nodded.

"I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian." He introduced himself. "Uhh... Well, how should I say this... I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home."

Dojima began walking back to the scene when a man rushed past him with a sick look on his face. He wore a suit as well, but he had messy hair and a unconfident face. He ran to the corner of the street and threw up heavily!

"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie?" Dojima scolded. "You want to be sent back to the central office?!"

"I-I'm sorry..." Adachi groaned.

Dojima sighed. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" And he walked away as Adachi followed after.

"Was this what that announcement was about...?" Chie realized.

"What do they mean... it was hanging from an antenna...?" Yukiko wondered.

The two looked at each other, then Chie said, "Hey, Yukiko...? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"

"Good idea..." Yukiko agreed.

Chie turned to Souji. "Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!"

Souji nodded, then the two started off for home.

_I'd better get home too. _He thought.

* * *

Back at the house, Souji and Nanako were watching television. Nanako looked at the clock, then looked down at the table.

"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight..." She muttered.

The commercial that was on finished and moved onto the news. "Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samagawa River in Inaba."

Souji blinked as the school zone was shown on television_. Is this the incident...?_

"The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed..."

Nanako gasped. "The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" Then she groaned.

"Are you worried about him?" Souji asked.

She shook her head. "...Uh-uh. It's his job, so things like this happen."

The news continued. "The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was found in a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow."

_So that announcer was found dead near the school..._Souji thought. _Mayumi Yamano... And her affair with the local councilman's secretary was on the news just the other day. _

"They found her on the roof?" Nanako asked. "That's scary..."

She blinked as the news changed to a commercial. "Oh, it's Junes!"

"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" Then that same music began. "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Nanako began singing as well. "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Souji smiled. "You're a good singer."

Nanako giggled. "I'm the best one in my class!" Then she continued to sing.

_Good. At least she forgot about that scary story... _Souji thought.

**And that was the third chapter. It was nice and long, so please review. And I wasn't able to post this yesterday, but Happy New Years!**


	4. Midnight Channel

**Okay, Winter Break is over for me so uploads will be pretty slow. Hopfully I can get chapters to you guys at a good pace.**

**Ch. 4 Midnight Channel**

_April 13, 2011_

It was a nice, cool, breezy morning in Inaba. Souji was walking to school, with not many thoughts in his mind. Suddenly, a person zoomed right past him! It was a familiar young man, riding a yellow bike.

Then he instantly crashed right into a dumpster! His bike flew away as he landed into a trash can! He rolled around as the other students walked right past him.

"S-Someone..." He groaned for help.

_I guess I should help him. _Souji thought, and pulled him out of the dumpster.

Soon he was back on his bike. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm..." He tried to remember hard. "Oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Souji Seta. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."

"Nice to meet you too." Souji replied.

Yosuke grinned.

_Looks like he'll be alright. _Souji thought.

"Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday?" He asked. "They found that announcer lady dead hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that wierd could be an accident."

"You might be right."

"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that... That's just messed up." Yosuke said. "Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place."

Yosuke looked down at his watch. "Oh crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."

Souji's sweat dropped.

* * *

Soon the kids were in class, sitting down to Mr. Morooka. Everyone was chattering as usual about different things, whether it be rumors, gossip, or secrets.

"Be quiet, you idiots!" Morooka yelled. "You guys ARE in high school, aren't you?! Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have any common sense? First of all, my job is to waste precious time teaching you philosophy! And since I'm so nice... I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored?! And I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it?! Now get your books out!"

Everyone got out their books as soon as Morooka's speech finally concluded. Souji listened very intently, with it being his first day.

* * *

_After school..._

Yosuke yawned very loudly as soon as class was over. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes, then walked over to Souji.

"So, you getting used to this place?" He asked.

Souji shook his head. "Not yet."

"Yeah, well, you just got here." Yosuke said. "There isn't much to do here, compared to the big city, but there is that certain... something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great... Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

Suddenly Chie walked up to them. "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'."

Yosuke groaned. "You always come around when I'm talking about food..."

"How about it, Yukiko?" Chie asked her friend. "Don't you think he should treat us, too?"

Yukiko finished gathering her things and stood up. "I'll pass... I don't want to gain anymore wait. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway."

"Wow, Yukiko-san!" Yosuke exclaimed. "You started training to take over the business?"

"It's not like that." She said. "I'm just helping out when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way." And she walked off.

"Oh well." Chie said. "We should get going too."

"Huh?" Yosuke complained. "Do I seriously have to treat two people...?"

* * *

They ended up in Junes, a giant mega mall in the eastern part of Inaba, probably the biggest building Souji had ever seen in this town. It had four or five or even more floors, with tons of stuff in between. However, these three ended up in the food court, a nice area with small tables with few people there.

Yosuke walked back to the two with a tray of food, but there was no grilled steak. Instead, he came with a burger, some fries, and three sodas.

"THIS is the cheap place you were talking about...?" Chie groaned. "They don't even have grilled steak here."

He sat down angrily with his arms crossed. "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans."

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything."

Souji looked at the two with a confused look.

"Oh right. I haven't told you yet, huh?" Yosuke started. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So our entire family came out here."

"Here, this is to welcome you to town." Souji took his drink as Yosuke said, "Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"Yeah, I know." She puffed.

They cheered first, then drank their drinks. Afterwards, they ended up talking about small things, until Chie decided to change the subject.

"It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since." She said. "A lot of stores there started closing and... oh, uh..."

She looked down a little embarrased as Yosuke said, "You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" He sighed.

Then a young woman went to a table and sat down, a depressed look on her face. She had long, gray hair with a mature face. She also wore an apron with the words Junes on it, signifying that she worked there.

Yosuke turned and saw her. "Hey... it's Saki-sempai! Sorry, be right back."

"Who's that?" Souji asked as Yosuke got out of his seat and walked towards her.

"Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district." Chie explained. "...I think she's working here part time, though.

"Hey, how's it going?" Yosuke asked Saki when he got over to her. "You look beat."

"Heeey!" She said without much enthusiasm. Her voice seemed tired as well. "I'm finally on break. What's up Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?"

Yosuke scoffed jokingly. "Madam, you wound me! Kidding aside... you look down. Did something happen?"

Saki sighed. "...It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen." Yosuke said. "I..."

She chuckled. "I'm okay. Thanks, though." Then she sighed again and muttered. "Why'd I leave school early yesterday...?"

Saki looked away and blinked. "Hey... is he the kid who transferred here?"

She walked over to Souji as Yosuke followed. "Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."

"N-Not necessarily..." Yosuke said.

"He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good." She said. "Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you."

"Nah, he's a great guy." Souji said back.

She laughed, although there wasn't much humor in it. "I know... I'm just kidding."

"C-C'mon, Sempai! There's no need to worry about something like that." Yosuke said.

Saki turned to him. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go... Laters!" With that, she walked away.

"Oh, uh, Sempai...!" He tried calling to her, but she didn't hear and continued walking.

He sat down and chuckled. "Saki-sempai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me. She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way..."

"Ohhh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh?" She asked with a spark of curiosity. "Oh, I get it... So, that's how it is... The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain... the flame of forbidden love!"

"Wha?!" Yosuke turned to her surprised. "Dude, it's not like that!"

"Oh reaaaally..." She grinned. "Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen... and they say that person's your soul mate."

"What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful..." Yosuke said. "How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?"

"Childish, huh?" Chie said angrily. "You don't believe it, do you?!"

"Of course I don't!"

"Well, it's raining tonight!" She said. "Let's all try it out- then you'll see!"

"Try it out...?" He said. "Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself?! Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something like this... All that aside... you know that 'incident' yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around...? Heehee..."

"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that." Chie rolled her eyes. "Now who's the childish one...? All I am saying is, you guys better try it out tonight."

_Seeing your soul mate inside a TV turned off? _Souji thought. _Hmmm... interesting._

* * *

Soon, it was night. Just as Chie said, it was raining. Souji and Nanako were eating dinner, while watching television.

_Another dinner alone with Nanako... _Souji thought. "Don't worry."

"...Yeah." She muttered.

Suddenly, the door slid open. "Oh! He's home!"

She got up as Dojima walked to the living room.

He groaned. "What a day... I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

"No." She said, with sadness in her voice. "You're late again..."

"I'm sorry..." He said. "Been busy at work." He sat down on the couch very heavily. "Can you put the news on for me?"

Nanako looked down sadly then sat back down. She picked up the remote and changed the channel.

"Next, more news in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba." The announcer said. "Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It has been confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi."

_Again with this story. _Souji thought. _When that announcer was alive, she had an affair. And his wife was an enka singer. I wonder if the murder is connected to this._

The announcer continued. "The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."

Dojima sighed. "An interview with a kid...? Where the heck did they find her?"

"What went through your mind when you saw it?" The reporter asked. "Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?"

A person appeared on the screen. She wore a school uniform, but her face was blurred out. Her voice was also changed, but you could tell she is a female.

"Umm..."

_Haven't I seen her before? _Souji wondered.

"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" The reporter asked.

"Huh...? She was killed?"

"Oh, err..." The reporter was startled. "So did you see anyone suspicious around here?"

"No, not really..." She replied. It seemed like she was very nervous.

"We heard that you found it when you left school early." The reporter said. "Did you have some personal business to take care of?"

"Huh? That's..."

_That reporter's really confusing this girl... _He thought. _She kinda looks like that Saki Konishi girl though._

"-A tragedy that occured near the local shopping district." The announcer picked up. "Many storeowners are raising concerns about losing customers as a result..."

Dojima scoffed. "If they are losing more customers, it'll be because you're making such a stink about it..."

"It really is a bizarre case, isn't it?" A commentator said. "I mean, hanging someone upside down on from an antenna. I'd have to say it's a warning or a sign from the culprit."

"Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime." The announcer said.

"Loads of prank call, though..." Dojima yawned.

"So, the cause of death is still unknown?" The commentator asked. "And they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers' funds are going to a police force who can't even figure out if this is an accident of a homicide?"

Dojima closed his eyes.

"We'll be right back after these messages."

Another music played. "At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" Then it began to play that song again. "Every day's great at your Junes!"

Nanako began to sing the song as well. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She turned to Dojima. "Hey Dad... can we go to Junes together sometime?"

All that was heard was a snore.

"...No?"

His head was bent down, and snoring sounds could be heard. It was pretty obvious he had fallen asleep.

Nanako sighed. "Geez..."

* * *

It was near midnight when Souji returned to his room. He had turned off all his lights to make sure he would be able to see if it was real or not.

_It's raining pretty hard tonight. _He thought. _It's almost midnight. "Your soul mate appears if you look into a TV on a rainy night'. Was Chie right?_

He then stood up as the clock was a few seconds away from hitting midnight. He stared at the TV as the clock finally hit midnight, but nothing appeared. He smirked at the fact he almost believed that story, then was about to walk away, when something happened.

The screen began to flash images of something on the TV even though it was off! He gasped and looked at it again.

It seemed like a girl was prancing around the screen shown, with two machines behind her. You could tell she was a girl because of the uniform. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed as Souji stared at the screen.

_I am thou. Thou art I._

Souji blinked as he heard a voice inside his head. More lightning flashed as this continued. He groaned in pain as this voice continued to speak.

_Thou art the one who opens the door._

The slumped down as he placed his hand on his head. Lightning struck a lamp post nearby, destroying it! He breathed heavily as he looked at the clock: past midnight.

He got back up and stared at the TV in disbelief. He walked over to the television and placed his finger on it. It rippled like water when he did! He placed his hand in it again, with the entire thing going in. He tried taking it out, but instead, his head got sucked in as well!

Souji struggled to get himself out, and when he did, he slammed his head right against his table! He grabbed his head in pain!

Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. Small, light ones.

"Are you okay...?" Nanako asked from behind the door.

"K-Kind of..." Souji replied, although his head was screaming in pain.

"Okay." She said. "Well, good night." Footsteps were heard going down the stairs.

_What just happened...?_

**Okay, that's that. Like I said, I'm back at school, so updates will be slow. I hope you continue reading though.**


	5. World Of Fog

**I have nothing much to say anymore. Hope you enjoy this one!**

**Ch. 5 World Of Fog**

_April 14, 2011_

Yet another rainy day from the aftermath of the experience Souji had. Although kind of nervous, scared, and excited at the same time, he still payed attention to class.

Today, there was a new teacher at the school. She looked really strange, like Morooka. She wore a brown vest with a black skirt, with an Egyptian headdress and a dowser in her hand. She even had eyeliner like the Egyptians!

"Hello everyone. My name is Kimiko Sofue, and I don't know how much you know about world history, but I'm an expert." She introduced. "First, a little about me. I love to use my dowser to look for lost items, and there's nothing quite like a romance. In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river; it was born in the past and flows ever outward. I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Hohoho. And since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question. Our transferee, Mr. Seta, please stand up."

Souji blinked, then got out of his seat.

"When did A.D. - in other words, Anno Domini- begin?"

_Anno Domini... isn't that like after Christ? _He wondered. "When Jesus was born?"

"Ah, you seem to understand this well." She said pleased. "And does anyone know what B.C. stands for? Oh, I'll just tell you. Before Christ, or the years before Christ was born. This is, of course, the way we count our years today, but it wasn't adopted in Western Europe until the 15th century. Hohoho, it was around that time that there were many religious wars and power shifts occurring. Anyhow, the world's beliefs have been in an ever-flowing tide since humanity began to emphasize religion. Most holidays are related to religion, you know. If you do some research, you many find some interesting facts. But regardless of the culture or the tradition, the tide decides who will survive in the present and the future. And those survivors ensure that their will is passed down to the next generation... But now it's time to start from the beginning. Let's take a look at the origin of civilization..."

* * *

"What's up with body being hung upside down?" A girl asked her friend after class. "That's so freaky!"

"Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution?" The other girl said. "It's messed up..."

"My sempai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body."

As they talked, Yosuke walked up to Souji, but with a worried look instead of his usual cheery attitude.

"Y-Yo." He began. "Umm..."

Souji gave him a confused look.

"It's, uh, it's not really that important, but..." He said. "Well, yesterday on TV, I..." He scratched his head for a little bit. "Oh, uhh... never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha..."

Chie walked up to the two. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumor? Saki-sempai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."

"I wonder if that's why she looked so down..." Yosuke said. "She doesn't seem to be at school today either."

Chie blinked as Yukiko finished packing her stuff. "Huh? Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?"

"Things are really out of hand right now..." Yukiko said sadly. "I'm sorry." She walked out of the classroom.

"Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?" Yosuke asked.

"I guess they're running her ragged..." Chie said.

She blinked again. "By the way, did you see... it... last night?"

"Huh...?" Yosuke asked worriedly. "Uh, well... what about you?"

"I did!" She exclaimed. "I seriously saw a girl! But... my soul mate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure. Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and..."

Yosuke stepped back. "Hey... I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier..."

"Wait, so you saw it too?!" Chie exclaimed. "And we saw the same girl...? Does that mean... we have the same soul mate?"

"How should I know?" Yosuke turned to Souji. "How 'bout you? Did you see it?"

Souji nodded and began telling them about what happened: the image he saw, the voice he heard, how he got stuck in the TV...

"It sounds like we all saw the same person..." Yosuke muttered. "But wierd voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV...? We you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV."

"That'd be one interesting dream, though." Chie grinned. "I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. Well, if it had been bigger, the-"

Then she blinked. "Ohhh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."

"Oh yeah?" Yosuke said. "Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."

Chie smiled. "Oh definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" She made a kicking pose, yelling, "Hwa-taaaa!"

Yosuke's sweat dropped, then he turned to Souji. "We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into, hehe."

As the two continued to talk, Souji groaned_. They don't believe me at all..._

* * *

_Junes, Electronics Department..._

The three stood inside the mega mall called Junes, inside the electronics department. There was a whole mess of televisions around the area, with other electronics, and posters platered on the wall of famous celebrities.

All three of them stood in front of a huge wide screen TV. "Wow, this is huge!" Chie exclaimed. "And... holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"

"I dunno... Rich folks?" Yosuke said. "Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"Huh... not worth trying then, I guess." She sighed. "Well, at least looking's free."

Then Chie looked at Souji for a second, then turned to Yosuke. They both nodded and walked to the TV, touching and feeling it.

"...Nope, can't get in. Figures." Yosuke said.

Chie giggled. "This proves it. It was all just a dream."

"Besides, these flatscreen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side..." Yosuke said. "Argh, what am I saying?!" He decided to change the subject. "So, Chie. What kind of TV are you guys in the market for?"

"O-Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap." She said. "You got any suggestions?"

They walked over to another TV, just a little bit smaller than the one they just looked at. Yosuke cleared his throat to make him sound professional. "Well, miss, might I suggest this one over here? It's the newest model, just released this spring..."

Chie gasped. "Wha- that's not cheap at all! There's way too many zeroes!"

"I should've asked what you meant by 'cheap' right off the bat." Yosuke groaned.

"You've got connections, right?" She said with a sly look. "C'mon, hook me up!"

"You know I can't do that..." He said. "Hey, how about this one over here? It's a display unit and it's a little old, but..."

Souji turned from them back to the TV. _With a TV this big, I really might be able to go inside..._

He walked up to the TV and placed his hand on it. Suddenly, it fell right inside the TV, with it rippling like water!

Yosuke turned to him. "Oh yeah, Souji, what kind of TV do you-" Then he gasped.

Chie looked puzzled. "Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" She turned to Souji and gasped as well.

"I-Is his arm... in the TV...?" Yosuke said in disbelief.

"Whoa..." Chie stared. "Uhhh... is this some kinda... new model? L-Like a new function?"

"Heck no!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The two rushed over to him. "You gotta be kidding me..." Chie said. "Did you really stick your hand through the screen?"

"Oh man..." Yosuke said. "This is for real... That's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh?! What's the magician's secret?!"

Souji frowned at him. _Maybe I can put something in more than my arm. _Then he stuck his entire head into the TV!

"H-Hey, don't do that!" Yosuke shrieked. "What're you doing?!"

"Oh my gosh!!" She yelled as well.

"There's empty space inside..." Souji muttered.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'inside'?!" Yosuke questioned frantically.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'empty space'?!" Chie asked also.

"It seems very spacious in here..." He muttered again.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'spacious'?!" Yosuke shrieked.

"I mean, what's going on?!" Chie yelled.

Then Yosuke began holding the front of his upper pants, skipping like crazy. "Holy crap... I-I think this is all too much for my bladder..."

"What the-?" Chie shrieked. "Are you gonna pee you pants?!"

"I've been holding it all day!" Yosuke groaned. "I-I haven't had a chance to go... Aaarrgh! Can't... hold it... anymore...!"

Then he ran off to the restroom, but stopped. Then he ran back to them. "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"

"What?!" Chie gasped. "But we've got a guy half stuck in a TV here! Wh-what're we gonna do?!"

The two ran frantically around the area, for different reasons: Yosuke had to use the restroom super bad and Chie was shocked at Souji being stuck in the TV. Bu then the two ended up colliding into Souji, with the three of them falling into the TV!

"What the?!" Yosuke yelled. "W-Wai- WHOA!"

* * *

The trio collided into a floor with odd drawings on it, being white and black humans. The area was very foggy-like, colored yellow. There also seemed to be lights flashing from nowhere. It seemed very strange.

"Ow!" Yosuke exclaimed. "I landed right on my wallet!"

"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie asked. "What is this place? Is it some place in Junes?"

"Heck no it isn't. I mean we fell through a TV." Yosuke said. "Actually, uh, what is going on here?"

Everywhere they looked seemed like an endless expanse of fog. They could barely see any paths, and those lead probably somewhere they didn't want to be.

Chietoo a deep breath. "Haa... so... uh... We're still alive... right?"

"Are you guys okay?" Souji asked the two.

"I think my butt's cracked now..." Yosuke groaned.

"Of course it is!" Chie said angrily.

Yosuke looked around, then up and blinked, "Whoa!"

Chie stepped back. "Wh-What now?! Did you wet your pants?!"

"No, idiot!" Yosuke said. "Look around!"

The fog became a little more clear, with the lights appearing from above. There were a few paths out of that area, and wires too. It actually looked like a television studio.

"Is this... a studio?" Chie asked. "All this fog... or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there...?"

"Heck no..." Yosuke muttered. "But man... this place is huge..."

"What're we gonna do...?" Chie said.

"Let's look around." Souji suggested.

"Huh? B-But..." Chie began nervously. "Look, we need to get home and-!" And she turned around, then gasped. "H-Huh...?" She turned around again. "Wait a minute... Wich way did we come in from? I don't see a way in... or out!"

The other two gasped and looked around frantically for an exit! But there was no exits they could see in sight.

"What?" Yosuke asked. "That can't be right! H-How could that be?!"

"I don't know!" Chie exclaimed. "Don't ask me! I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!!"

"Okay... so how?!" Yosuke questioned.

"Let's calm down." Souji said first.

"Y-You're right." Yosuke agreed and breathed in deeply. "Okay... okay. Let's calm down and think about this. All right, so we need to find a way out."

"Is there really a way outta here...?" Chie asked.

"We got in... so we must be able to get out somehow." Yosuke said.

"That's true, but..." She muttered.

"If there's no exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around." Yosuke said. The trio nodded to this.

* * *

The three began to walk around the area. They ended up in an apartment hallway somehow, with a door in front of them. There seemed to be a few houses nearby, but the wierdest thing of all was the sky: It was passing through red and black stripes, like how televisions are when they malfunction.

"What is this place...?" Chie asked. "It feels different from where we were before..."

"It feels like we're in some kinda building, but..." Yosuke said. "Darn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see."

"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?" Chie asked worriedly.

"I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instinct a little."

"I know, but..."

Yosuke and Souji began walking into the door. Chie followed after a while.

The two walked inside and blinked. It was like an apartment, with a bed, a bookshelf, a big window, and a potted plant.

"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke asked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "No service. What a surprise..."

"Can't you guys slow down a little?" Chie asked. The two turned around and gasped at what was behind her. "It's hard enough to see where you're going..." Chie blinked at their surprised faces and turned around, gasping as well. "Huh? What the...?!"

In the walls behind them, there were posters of someone with the heads cut off from it. Blood was splattered all over the walls. There as even a chair with a rope hanging from the top.

"It's a dead end!" Chie screamed. "There's no exit!"

"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go..." Yosuke muttered. Then he blinked and started hopping around even faster! "Aargh! I can't hold it any longer... My bladder's gonna explode!"

He ran to the wall and zipped down his pants.

"Yosuke?! What're you doing?!" Chie shrieked.

"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!" Yosuke yelled.

"You're going here?!" Chie yelled. "Oh, you have got to be kidding..."

"T-Turn around!" Yosuke begged. "I can't go if everyone's watching!" But nobody turned. "Aaaaargh... I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!

"Like I care..." Chie said. "Anyways... what's with this room? Check out these posters... their faces are all cut out... Somebody must really hate this person..."

Yosuke walked up to the chair in the middle of the room. "Dude... this chair and rope... That kind of arrangement is never good..." Upon closer inspection, he noticed something hanging from the rope. "It's tied to a noose... Is this a scarf...?"

Chie shuddered. "C'mon... Let's go back to where we came from, and look somewhere else for an exit..."

He nodded and the three began for the door. Then Yosuke stopped and took a look at a poster. "Hey... I think I've seen that poster before..."

"Who CARES?!" Chie yelled. "Let's go! I am sick of this place! And I'm not feeling so good..."

"Now that you mention it, me too..." Yosuke muttered.

_My body does feel heavy... _Souji thought. _Could it be from this place's oppressive atmosphere...?_

"Alright, let's go back." Yosuke said. "I'm seriously starting to feel sick..."

* * *

The three finally made it back to the area they started from. But they seemed tired more than ever.

Chie sighed. "We finally made it back here..." Then she blinked as she saw something in the fog. "Wait... What's that...?"

Souji and Yosuke frowned at her then looked, shocked at the sight of a figure coming over to them. "Th- There's something over there!"

It stepped out of the fog. It was a bear-looking thing with a red pants and blue fur (I guess).

"What is this thing?" Chie asked. "A monkey? A bear...?"

"What in the world...?" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Th- That's what I wanna know!" The bear said. "Who are you guys...?"

Chie gasped. "It talked!! Uhh... What are you?! Y-You wanna fight?!"

The bear cowered in fear. "D-Don't yell at me like that..."

"What is this place?" Souji asked nicely.

It instantly stopped shaking. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. It's where I live."

"You... live here?" Yosuke asked.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side." The bear said. "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Huh? Throwing people in?" Yosuke questioned. "What're you talking about?"

The bear stomped on the ground angrily. "I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that."

"Hey, what's your problem?" Chie said angrily to the bear, being blown back. "What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that?! What ARE you?! Where are we?! What the heck's going on here?!"

The bear bolted right behind Souji, gripping him in fear. Souji's sweat dropped.

"I already told you..." The bear said. "A-Anyways, you should hurry back."

"What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right?" Yosuke asked. "Well, so do we! We just don't know how, darn it!"

"Urrrrgh!" The bear shouted. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"

"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the freakin' exit-" Yosuke began. "Wait... what?"

The bear tapped his foot on the floor twice, and three big TVs appeared in a puff of smoke right in the middle of the three! Everyone jumped back in fright.

"What the heck?!" Yosuke said.

"Wh-Where did these TVs come from?!" Chie stuttered.

They all walked up to the TVs. Souji, Chie, and Yosuke stared at it for awhile, until the bear got annoyed. "Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" And he pushed the three inside the TVs!

"What's going on now?!" Chie shrieked. "Whoa! Hey, what're you doing?!"

"S-Stop pushing!" Yosuke complained.

* * *

Familiar mall music played as the trio was thrown out of the TV and landed on their butts again! They all almost yelped in pain.

"Huh? Is this...?" Chie began.

"Did we... make it back?" Yosuke asked.

The three of them stood up and looked around, trying to get feeling back into their bodies. The intercom started speaking, "ATTENTION, SHOPPERS. OUR DAILY LIMITED-TIME SALE WILL NOW BEGIN AT THE SIDE DISH AREA ON THE FIRST FLOOR. WHY NOT TRY THE DELICIOUS, FRESH PRODUCE JUNES PICKED FOR YOU THIS THIS MORNING AS YOUR SIDE DISH FOR DINNER TONIGHT? ALL AGES ARE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THIS INCREDIBLE BARGAIN!"

"Crap, it's already that late?!" Yosuke realized.

Chie sighed. "Looks like we were in there for quite awhile..."

Yosuke went into deep thought, then blinked. "That's right... Now I remember where I saw that poster before... Look over there! That's the poster we saw!"

"What's up now?" Chieasked. She turned around and saw a poster of a woman with pale white skin and a dark purple kimono on. "Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi... She's been all over the news lately. Something about... her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day."

"Hey, so does that mean...?" Yosuke began. "That wierd room we saw... Could it be related to that Yamano lady's death...? Now that I think about it... there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling..." He paused for a bit then yelled out, "Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore.

Chie nodded, then shuddered. "I'm feeling a chill too... Let's go home... I wanna lie down and rest."

* * *

It was finally evening when Souji returned home. The rain was pouring harder than usual today. Dojima and Nanakosat around the table with ramen bowls, watching TV.

"Hey, welcome home." Dojima said.

Souji came over to them and sat down. He still felt numb. _I feel sluggish..._

Dojima looked down for a bit, then turned to Souji. "Uh-Hmm... Well, I doubt you'd know... But have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

Souji blinked. "She wasn't at school today."

"Oh, I see..." He said, then he sighed. "To be honest... we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet..." Another sigh. "Work keeps piling up..."

The announcer on TV spoke. "And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamanowas found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."

_The Amagi Inn... It's the inn that Yukiko's family runs... _Souji thought.

"She had apparently been staying there alone." The announcer continued. "Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal...?"

"Oh yes, the Amagi Inn!" A commentator exclaimed. "Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!"

"Uhh... I-I see..." The announcer was startled. "Moving along, it's time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in affect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area..."

_So before the announcer died, she was found in the Amagi Inn... _Souji thought. _And Saki hasn't been found yet either..._

"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked.

"Give it some more time." Dojima said.

Suddenly, Souji sneezed. _What is this chill...?_

"Are you sick?" Dojima asked. "You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?"

She nodded, then ran towards the cabinet. "You should get to bed after you take it." Dojima said.

Souji nodded.

* * *

_April 15, 2011_

It was a quiet morning in the town of Inaba. Everyone was still asleep in their beds. It was still foggy in the region as well. And a schoolgirl that went to Yasogami High was hanging upside down on a electric pole...

**And that's this chapter. Yeah, updates are still as slow as ever.**


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